Thai TV company makes programme about homelessness in Cardiff

A TV company from Thailand has been in Cardiff to make a programme about the services provided in the city to help people who are homeless.

The crew from PPTV’s ‘Around the World with Karuna’ programme spent two days filming in the capital on Monday March 25 and Tuesday March 26.

During their visit they interviewed people sleeping rough in the city centre and Councillor Lynda Thorne from Cardiff Council who is responsible for housing in Cardiff and visited the Huggard centre.

They also spent Tuesday afternoon and evening filming with the Bus Project – the purple double decker bus run by The Salvation Army to support rough sleepers in the city.

“Around the World with Karuna is a 25 minute programme which has been reporting on social, political and cultural issues from across the globe for three years”, said Karnklon Raktham from PPTV in Thailand.

“We were planning on coming to the UK in late March for five days to film some reports from across the country which would have been of interest to our viewers in Thailand. We contacted The Salvation Army back in January after seeing a piece about the Bus Project on the BBC’s Cymru Fyw website.

“After getting The Salvation Army’s permission to film the Bus Project, we then decided to make a report about homelessness in Cardiff and the work that is done here to help people who are homeless. We really enjoyed our visit to Cardiff. We had a warm welcome and we were inspired by the people we met.” 

The Salvation Army’s Bus Project parks up in the civic centre in Cathays from Sunday to Thursday every week between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

From there, it works with Cardiff Council and other homelessness service agencies to help rough sleepers with support including finding them a bed for the night. The Bus Project’s dedicated staff and volunteers provide a non-judgemental listening ear, food and drink and warm clothing and bedding and help an average of 30 people every night.

“The Bus Project is part of a Salvation Army tradition of going out on to the streets to meet people in need and providing support where it is needed. It is just one of our support services for people who are homeless in Cardiff to help them to rebuild their lives” said Yvonne Connolly of The Salvation Army’s Homelessness Services Unit.

“It provides ongoing support for people who are currently homeless as well as those who have been homeless to help prevent them becoming homeless again. It was a pleasure to welcome PPTV to the Bus Project and I thank them warmly for taking an interest in our work”.

The Bus Project is run by The Salvation Army’s Homelessness Services Unit and it receives funding from the Welsh Government. 

Cardiff Bus stores, repairs and services the Bus Project bus at its depot on Sloper Road.

Getting people out of homeless is challenging, but the Bus Project is just one of the services The Salvation Army runs in Cardiff to support people who are experiencing homelessness.

It also operates the Northlands Lifehouse on North Road and the Tŷ Gobaith Lifehouse on Bute Street and is a partner with Cardiff City Council in the innovative Housing First Cardiff pilot project.